Have I told you guys that I have decided to paint all of the trim in our house, amongst all of the other projects currently underway. I know, it's crazy. I just can't, and I won't deal with the off-white, dirty, yellow/pink trim anymore. I've started in the living room. Each day when Sebastian goes down for a nap, I spend the 3 or so hours, frantically taping, sanding, priming, and then painting the trim. It is stressful. I don't really want to do it. But the results are looking sooooo good, which is enough to keep me going. Until I have to paint the upstairs, and then I may hire someone.
I am being a bit frantic about these projects (including the kitchen renovation) because I am pretty sure that Sebastian is going to crawl soon. And once that happens, it just doesn't seem feasible to have my ladder and paint cans scattered around the house. I feel like I'm on the mad dash to get everything done and tidied up around here before I have to baby-proof the house, something that I'm not particularly thrilled about. Right now, it is no nice when I put him down, and I know that he won't go far. I am definitely not mentally prepared for this whole mobility thing. Can't he just stay a tiny baby forever????
Speaking of having a baby, does anyone know of a reliable babysitter in the Seattle area? Last weekend, we attended a friends wedding, the rehearsal dinner on Friday, and a brunch on Sunday with Sebastian in tow. He has lost the ability to nap during all the hustle and bustle (life is just too exciting right now), which means that this week I have one over-tired, borderline delusional little baby. It has finally set in that if I want to have a life, apart from Sebastian (late night tacos and margaritas, holah), I need a babysitter. And how do you go about hiring a babysitter? Do you interview them? Facebook stalk them beforehand? Is it inappropriate to set up a nanny cam?
The weather in Seattle these past few days has been unreal. The sunny warm days is getting me really excited for summer, and days at the beach, and I'm all like, ahhhhh bikini season, I need to get this post-baby tummy in tip-top shape. Which means I've added an extra day to my weekly workouts. Now, more than ever, I really need to focus on my diet. I know that I've mentioned my pre-workout snack (oatmeal), but I'm not sure that I've ever talked about my post-workout snack, high protein Greek yogurt with nuts and berries!!! Lately, I've become completely obsessed with Chobani Flip Yogurt - especially the chocolate haze craze, which got me thinking (for all those people who don't have access to Chobani), why not make a version of my own chocolate yogurt, for my post workout fuel.
To begin, I simply melted some semi-sweet chocolate and mixed it into some honey-flavored Greek yogurt. I then added some cocoa powder and finely chopped chocolate pieces. I topped the yogurt with hazelnuts and raspberries, which are pretty much my favorite yogurt additions. Guys, this yogurt parfait is incredible. It reminds me of a healthier version of chocolate ice cream. Which got me thinking that this could be my healthy substitution for chocolate ice cream (which is one of my weaknesses). It's got all the chocolate flavor of ice cream, the mouthfeel of a silky mousse, with half the calories and fat. Funny, I was intending to create a post-workout high protein snack, but I think what I really stumbled upon, is a super healthy high protein low-calorie dessert alternative, which in some ways, is even better.
CHOCOLATE, RASPBERRY, AND HAZELNUT, YOGURT PARFAITS
makes 4
prep time: 15 minutes
cooking time: n/a
2 oz semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
1 tbsp cocoa powder
2 cups plain or sweetened (vanilla or honey) yogurt
1 tbsp maple syrup (optional)
1 oz semi-sweet chocolate, chopped finely
1/4 cup hazelnuts, chopped
1 cup raspberries
In a double boiler or a preferred method, melt the 2 oz of chocolate.
Whisk the melted chocolate and cocoa powder into the yogurt. If you are using a plain yogurt and would like a bit of sweetness, stir in the maple syrup. If you are using a sweetened yogurt, I would omit the maple syrup.
Stir 1/2 oz of finely chopped chocolate into the yogurt.
In 4 small cups, fill 1/2 with yogurt. Sprinkle some hazelnuts and place a few raspberries. Fill the cups with the remaining yogurt.
Top with the remaining hazelnuts, raspberries, and 1/2 oz finely chopped chocolate.
Yogurt parfaits can be made a few hours ahead, and stored in the fridge until ready to serve.
